Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1887-04-13
OUR OLDEST TOWN.
st. Augustine SOrely Af-
ilicted with Fire.
Some Old Relics and Land
Marks Burned to
the Ground.
The Great Railroad Robbery
is the Engrossing
Topic.
Blaine's CondltiOn Murder
Case-wOuld Not Introduce Him
Cancelled Entries - Dr0ath-
Stricken Tsxas-wOrk
Of the Prairie Fire.
fire In oar Oldest city.

81. AueUsTNE (Fla.), April 1.-THE
Sc. Augustine Hotel took dre at $50 this
morning and was destroyed. The old
slavemarket 10 also gone and the an.
eieat cathedral 10 in flames. E1wards
Hstel and q half dozen other buildings
are on fire and 10 seems inevitable that
the Florida House must 60. The danger
Of the destruction Of the whole town
from Placer TO the city jail is immi.
nent. OF seventy SIX guests at the St.
did also all the hslp Of that house and
the guests and servants Of the Edwards
House.
The fire has been stopped at Tresy
and May streets. A portion of the town
is safe. The county court house and
Vedders Museum we're destroyed. The
loss on the Sc. Augustine Hotel will
amount to 100000. There vas no in
surance.
JACKSONVILLE (Fla.). April II. - The
nre in St. Augustine this meFniRR de-
stFoyed the SO. Augustine Hotel, the old
Spanish Hotel. Edwards Hotel, the
Court House, the sinclair block, Cham
beFlaiA's store and residence, and Welt
er's Hotel. Loss, &250,00o.
WAsHNGToN, April 1.-THE following
telegram was received at the Treasury
Department today from the Collector Of
Customs at st. Augustine fla: The
principal portion Of the city has been
destroyed by FIRE. The coanty court
House is sls0 burned. Can offer assist
ancs in the way Of the rooms in the post
Office building not occupied IL is i'm
possible TO procure rooms outside OF
this building. Oar records have ex
pired." Secretary FairchiId telegraphed
as follows in reply Render every as
sistauce to the city officials in the way
of procuring rooms in the pOstsffice
building"
The alarm was given at 3:l5 a. %.
from the laundry Of the st. Augustine
hotel. The flames spread rapidly to the
kitchen, then to the main part Of the
building. The fire department con
sisted only OF a hook and ladder truck
and one steam engine, and il vas i'm
possible to do anything TO save the hotel.
which was already wrapped in flsmes.
The guests, Numbering 80, and 10 ser
wants, with the exception of one laun-
dry woman, Bridget Barry, escaped.
The flames were then communicated to
the Edwards House, The CottaRe, q
planters' house ami to the Florida
House, the next building to the First
National Bank, and one OF the oldest
landmarks in the city. The old Span
ish cathedral, just west of the ST..
Augustine hotel, had its roof catch FIRE,
and il soon fell. destroying all the his
totical relics in the interior. The old
chimes fell, too, their last work being
the alarm which had summoned the
citizsns to the scene of the conhagra-
ton. At this time the east wall of the
81. Augustine house fell, carrying the
flames to the Sinclair block, in which
we're stores and shops. All we're COM
plstely destroyed. Returning t. the
west side of the street the flames
reached the old county court house on
the north, which was totally destroyed.
The records. however, we're moved and
saved. Several residences and small
buildings we're also destroyed. At 7:30
the fire was under control. The losses
will aggregate S250,000. The old
cathedral was built in l79S and was in
uss for purposes Of worship up to this
time.